ISL 2017: How Kerala Blasters could line up next season

Kerala Blasters will hope to go one step further in ISL-4 after last year's final loss.

India's most popular football tournament, the Indian Super League, is all set to kick-start its latest installment on November 17th. With the number of participants increased to 10 this season, the tournament will witness a more intense battle for the title.

Two-time runners-up Kerala Blasters spent some big money this time out and are the odds-on favourites to land the title. With the legendary Alex Ferguson's ex-assistant Rene Meulensteen at the helm, the club have brought in some big names in the foreign market as well as a few top Indian stars.

Here, we look at the probable line-ups of Kerala Blasters under Meulensteen next season.

3-4-3 Formation

Enter caption

3" />3-4-3 is a probable line-up strategy for Kerala Blasters

Kerala Blasters may deploy a 3-4-3 formation considering the players they have in their ranks. Although it is the least preferred of the three possible setups, it promises to make the team firm and aggressive at the same time.

In this formation, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury is likely to guard the goal, while foreign recruits Wes Brown and Nemanja Lakic-Pesic will partner versatile Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan in central defence.

Heading into the midfield, a dynamic combination of three Indians and a foreigner could serve the Blasters well. While Milan Singh and Siam Hanghal take stock of breaking play and recycling the ball, the individual prowess of Jackichand Singh and Ghanaian Courage Pekuson along the sides could make this midfield one to watch.

In attack, the three-pronged threat of CK Vineeth, Iain Hume and Dimitar Berbatov should be enough for the Blasters to win most games. The combination of Vineeth's pace, Hume's tenacity, and Berbatov's guile is a dream prospect for any ISL side, not least Kerala Blasters.